Thursday, February 19, 2009

Bredesen appears the loser in HHS secretary bid

Way to go, Tony Garr!

The New York Times reports that the governor of Kansas, Kathleen Sebelius, is now the probable choice to head the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Her choice would officially end the political career of Gov. Phil Bredesen, who was depending on the Cabinet job to give him a political future. Now in a strongly leaning GOP state, he will be nowhere soon after leaving the statehouse in early 2011Bredesen also will not be able to avoid destructive budget cuts that will reduce his popularity the next two years.

Give credit to Tony Garr of the Tennessee Health Care Campaign for sounding the alarm and building national opposition to Bredesen's appointment. Garr simply pointed out the truth -- Bredesen's TennCare cuts with an ax resulted in the deaths of Tennesseans.

I know. I covered these cases. Thank goodness President Obama listened.

And the governor of Kansas, an early supporter of him, will be much easier for the president to stomach since Bredesen told then then candidate Obama not to come to Tennessee to campaign and to stand in Walmart to meet real people.

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